Inland Revenue versus football

This week Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is engaged in two high profile court cases.  The one accusing current Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and his relationship with Milan Mandaric, when they were in charge of Portsmouth FC, garners the most headlines but more important to football overall is the winding-up order they have served to their old club on the south coast.

I think the taxman is doomed in its prosecution of Old ‘Arry.  HMRC are not in the habit of waiting seven years to collect when they think they have a strong case, as Portsmouth have found out innumerable times over the past few years.  Rather I think government pressure has forced a once-and-for-all settlement so as to decide whether Redknapp can succeed Fabio Capello as England manager, without a perpetual cloud hanging over the whole situation.

As for the Fratton Park faithful, the number of chancers (one who might not even had existed) who have owned them is the disgrace of the Premier League and FA, but both pretend to see no evil and hear no evil, while speaking with forked tongues on the game’s governance.  It would be a very sad day were such a big club – who have won England’s highest division twice and more recently the FA Cup - cease to exist (unless one happens to support Southampton).  The taxman obsequiously states that it is in the interests of all taxpayers for debts to be followed up.  So what was the situation where Goldman Sachs had £10 million written off their bill or Vodafone were let off more than £1 billion in charges?  Clearly Portsmouth FC was not rich enough to corrupt HMRC officials with serial wining and dining.  If Goldman Sachs or Vodafone had any morals (which we know they don’t) they would dip into the savings they made to throw Portsmouth a reprieve.  It is indicative of the collapse of decency in this country where the wealthy are given all the advantages and the poor are kicked in the teeth.  Maybe the latter action would be a fitting tribute for the outgoing HMRC head who has been allowed to ‘retire’.